Western Tailed-Blue
Cupido amyntula (Boisduval, 1852)
Family: Lycaenidae
Subfamily: Polyommatinae
Identification: Narrow tail on hindwing. Upperside of male blue, female brown with blue at wing base. Underside white with black spots indistinct or lacking; single small orange spot near tail.
Wing Span: 7/8 - 1 1/8 inches (2.2 - 2.9 cm).
Life History: Males patrol and perch during the day. Females lay eggs on flowers or young seedpods of host plant. Caterpillars eat young seeds inside the pod, where they overwinter and pupate.
Flight: March-July. Several broods in southern California, a partial second brood in the southern Rocky Mountains, and one brood elsewhere.
Caterpillar Hosts: Legumes with inflated pods including false lupine (Thermopsis), milkvetch (Astragalus), crazyweed (Oxytropis), and vetches (Vicia and Lathyrus).
Adult Food: Flower nectar.
Habitat: Open - usually native - areas with low shrubs including chaparral, meadows, and open woodland.
Range: Alaska south through western North America and all western mountains to northern Baja California, east across Canada's prairie provinces to northern Michigan, Ontario, and the Gaspé Peninsula.
Conservation: Not usually required.
NCGR: G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
Management Needs: None reported.
Alternate Scientific Names:
Everes amyntula
BAMONA Shop
Please donate!
We depend on donations to keep Butterflies and Moths of North America freely available. We want to express our gratitude to all who showed their support by making a contribution this year. You can donate to support this project at any time.
Advertise with us!
Do you have a product or service that you think would interest BAMONA users? If you would like to advertise on this website, contact us by email, or use the contact form and select the "Advertising" category.
Verified Sightings
Displaying 1 - 24 of 788 verified sightings
Observation date: Jun 21, 2025
Submitted by: bonfrey
Region: Lincoln County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jul 17, 2025
Observation date: Jun 13, 2024
Submitted by: John Gibbons
Region: Saskatchewan, Canada
Verified by: jmgesell
Verified date: Jul 05, 2025
Observation date: Jun 15, 2025
Submitted by: Paul Prappas
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jun 15, 2025
Observation date: Jun 13, 2025
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Summit County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jun 15, 2025
Observation date: Jun 13, 2025
Submitted by: Dogoszhi
Region: Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 14, 2025
Observation date: Jun 11, 2025
Submitted by: Dogoszhi
Region: Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Jun 12, 2025
Observation date: Jun 05, 2025
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jun 08, 2025
Observation date: May 06, 2025
Submitted by: weflybye
Region: Thurston County, Washington, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: May 11, 2025
Observation date: May 01, 2025
Submitted by: Zencoyote
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: May 02, 2025
Observation date: Apr 01, 2025
Submitted by: stevecary
Region: San Luis Obispo County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Apr 17, 2025
Observation date: Mar 24, 2025
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Mar 27, 2025
Observation date: Jun 03, 2007
Submitted by: papilio1
Region: Sierra County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Nov 26, 2024
Observation date: Jun 09, 2024
Submitted by: James F Parker
Region: Southeast Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Verified by: davidwdroppers
Verified date: Oct 07, 2024
Observation date: Aug 29, 2024
Submitted by: MAKI
Region: Santa Cruz Island County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Oct 04, 2024
Observation date: Sep 15, 2024
Submitted by: Lisahug
Region: Sonoma County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Sep 15, 2024
Observation date: May 12, 2012
Submitted by: Alison Davies
Region: Riverside County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Aug 16, 2024
Observation date: Aug 01, 2024
Submitted by: Reneerob17
Region: San Miguel County, New Mexico, United States
Verified by: stevecary
Verified date: Aug 05, 2024
Observation date: Jun 07, 2024
Submitted by: Lyle R
Region: Boulder County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 22, 2024
Observation date: Jul 09, 2024
Submitted by: ezeemonee
Region: Santa Barbara County, California, United States
Verified by: Ken Davenport
Verified date: Jul 12, 2024
Observation date: Jun 12, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Summit County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 02, 2024
Observation date: Jun 09, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 01, 2024
Observation date: Jun 06, 2024
Submitted by: Cascade Colors
Region: Grand County, Colorado, United States
Verified by: mikefisher
Verified date: Jul 01, 2024
Observation date: Jun 20, 2024
Submitted by: jrmbutterfly
Region: British Columbia, Canada
Verified by: Paul Prappas
Verified date: Jun 25, 2024
Observation date: Jun 23, 2024
Submitted by: dsperanza
Region: Powell County, Montana, United States
Verified by: J_Martineau
Verified date: Jun 24, 2024
- 1 of 33
- next ›